Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

We would like to present the conclusions of the experiential workshop on research, innovation, and contemporary artistic creation entitled /i.ko.na/, which took place in summer 2023, at the Asterousia Mountains, Heraklion, Crete. The workshop served as an experimental platform for experiential learning, edutainment, academic/artistic research, and artistic creation, with the aim of studying the primal human need to process natural elements in order to visualize visible and invisible aspects of everyday life.

Academics of fine arts, theology and cultural studies scholars, painters, digital artists, professional photographers/filmmakers, along with 16 students, were hosted in the region of Asterousia Mountains, where they met and worked with monks, Byzantine iconographers, painters, locals, organizations and artisans. The aim of this interaction was to approach and interpret the iconographic references of the area as elements shaping global cultural heritage within a broader context of harmonious connection between traditional and contemporary cultural elements, innovation and sustainable regional development.

More specifically, during the 15-day workshop, the 33 participants had the opportunity to come in contact with and learn about local history from author Mr. Zacharias Kalochristianakis, explore local legends and traditions with folklorist Mr. George Stamatakis and theologian Mr. Nikos Stamatakis, and experience local artistic activity through the work of artist and monk f. Hilarion Stamatakis and the presentations of art conservators Mr. Nikos Sisamakis and Ms. Efi Tsitsa. They also had the chance to draw inspiration from the wall paintings found in the cultural monuments of central Asterousia and, with the appropriate scientific and artistic supervision of iconography professors, from the Athens School of Fine Arts, Mr. Demosthenes Avramidis and Ms. Olympias Kelaidi, they experimented with the wall painting technique of Fresco, trying ancient painting techniques on fresh plaster, processing practices, and color production from earth and stones in an attempt to search for materials and intangible elements of cultural heritage as a source of inspiration for contemporary creation.

Additionally, theology professors from the School of Theology in Athens Mr. Sotirios Despotes and Mr. Athanasios Antonopoulos explored the prospects of dialogue between contemporary artistic creation and Orthodox tradition, the interaction of art and theology, as well as the connection of Orthodox culture with digital communication and research tools. Through dialogue with researchers and artists coming from various backgrounds, as well as the communication and digital technology fields, they collected sufficient documentation material, so that the new media artists participating in the program, under the artistic guidance of Professor Marianna Strapatsakis, could develop innovative techniques of digital documentation and restoration of the frescoes. Particular emphasis was placed on artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) technologies regarding finding missing parts and content infilling (inpainting) to ensure the material and intangible cultural heritage, practices, knowledge, and skills will be passed down to future generations.

The project was designed by the research, innovation, and culture organization: LOOX.Media, under the scientific and artistic supervision of new media artists Loukas Ziaras and Christos Kalaitzoglou, in collaboration with the Monastery of Koudoumas and embraced by students, graduates, and professors of the Athens School of Fine Arts, the School of Theology in Athens, and the Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University. It was supported by the Region of Crete and the Municipality of Gortyna, while the proposal was positively evaluated by the Ministry of Culture and was implemented under its auspices and financial support, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2003).

Finally, through this interdisciplinary dialogue, the participants aspire to highlight the intangible elements of local iconographic art found in the cultural monuments of the area and to contribute to the digital documentation, promotion, and preservation of the art of Fresco painting in central Asterousia with the use of contemporary technologies.

We hope that the above initiatives will act as catalysts for the development of an integrated research, cultural, and artistic ecosystem, promoting creativity, tradition, innovation, knowledge, and contemporary education in the Asterousia region, incorporating the intellectual heritage of Joseph Philagris, who founded and operated a university-level academic structure in the 14th century, offering advanced-level courses in subjects such as philosophy, astronomy, grammar, and medicine. Within this framework, we would be delighted to present our project at the 6th International Conference since, apart from the common approaches, the Ionian University and the Department of Audio and Visual Arts are the most significant memories of our student years in Corfu, which is still shaping our artistic concerns and defines the challenges of our artistic creation and research.